


Starting at the End

by VaWest



Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Lee and Amanda's Kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:05:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 20,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7304419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaWest/pseuds/VaWest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Family is everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Scarecrow and Mrs. King and the characters from the show do not belong to me, but rather belong to Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon Productions. I claim ownership of only the original characters and the story-line.
> 
> This was written a few years ago, and I'm finally getting around to posting this.
> 
> Also, constructive criticism is welcome.

When she heard her name being called, she had to fight the urge to vomit.  Green and gold might go well together on other occasions…but not today.  She stood and made her way towards the stage where her high school principal was waiting with a smile.  

Looking around, she saw her friends cheering her on.  She forced a smile to her face…it didn’t matter that she may never see these people after today.  It didn’t matter that they would all be heading for college while she had pulled strings to start as a courier for a government agency.  It didn’t even matter that her heart ached at not being able to share this moment with her father.  It didn’t matter now, anyways.  

No.  The only thing that mattered right now was that she didn’t trip on her way up to the podium.  She climbed the stairs and was immediately shaking hands with three unknown persons in quick succession.  As she had with all the others before, the principal chose to wrap her in a hug.  She had no idea if the woman had said anything to her, only that she felt her diploma being thrust in her hand.  

She grinned at the awkwardness of this situation.  Or maybe she grimaced…she wasn’t really sure.  As she left the stage, she remembered to move the tassel over.  Her brothers would never let her live it down if she did anything to embarrass herself up here.

Her brothers—she quickly scanned the audience as she made her way back to her seat.  Oh, crap.  She had told them not to make a sign…they never listened.  Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get angry…her brothers were the best.

* * *

“Aunt Francine!”  Gwen squealed.  “I thought you had to work!”

“And miss my goddaughter’s graduation?  I think not.”  The blonde woman grinned as the two embraced.  

“Mom!”  Gwen pulled herself away from Francine just in time to find herself wrapped in her mother’s arms.  Then her brothers were suddenly wrapping the two of them in an awkward group hug.

“Gwendolyn, we are sooooo proud of you!”  She rolled her eyes…she knew they called her that just to irritate her, but she refused to let it get to her today.  She pulled back when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Grandma?”

“Yep.  Your old grandma made it.”  Gwen couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.  This was even more of a surprise than Francine’s appearance had been.  Her grandmother had not been in the best of conditions when they’d all shared Christmas dinner last year.  But she was here now, and that was all that mattered.  Well, almost all.

That’s when she felt it.  She felt as though she was being watched.  Sure, she had the attention of the five people surrounding her, but this was different.  This sent a tingle all the way to her toes.  Glancing around, she discovered why.  He was here.

“You ok, dear?” Dotty felt her granddaughter tense.

“Yeah…I…”  She’d wondered if she’d see him here today.  She hadn’t realized how much she needed to see him until she actually did see him.  “I’m fine.”  A small, secret smile found its way to her face and warmed her heart.  She knew no one else would see him.  He was her guardian angel.  “Everything is perfect.”  She tore her eyes away from him and looked around at her family.  “I love you guys.”

“And we love you, sweetie.”  Amanda looked up to where her daughter had, just moments before, been staring.  She saw nothing out of the ordinary…just other families hugging and celebrating.  “Now, we’ve got lunch ready at the house.”  She turned to Francine.  “You’re coming, right?”

“Absolutely.  You’ve got brownies?”

“Absolutely.”  The group laughed and made their way towards the exit.

“Before I forget, this is for you, Gwen.”  The group stopped moving and all eyes focused on Francine.  Grinning, she held out a small package to Gwen.

Gwen would have liked to say she hadn’t expected any gifts…that would be the polite thing to do.  But screw it, she’d just graduated…it was her day, and darn it, she wanted presents.  She kept herself in check and made herself reach for the present like a civilized individual rather than snatching it up like a greedy thief.

Ignoring her mother’s protests that she wait until they got home, Gwen ripped into the powder-blue wrapping paper.  Shaking her head, Amanda took the wrapping paper from her—if she didn’t, it would probably end up on the floor, under her feet.  

Gwen looked up from the textured white box in her hand to Francine.  Presents were one thing…she just sincerely hoped a lot of money hadn’t been spent on a watch.  Watches never seemed to last very long with her—not that she was careless and destroyed them—more like, she was careless and lost them.

“It’s not a watch.”  Francine smirked, remembering the time she’d lent the girl her watch from Tiffany’s.  She would not make the same mistake twice.  “Open it.”

Gwen lifted the cover off the box and gasped.  It was perfect.  She grinned as she pulled out a necklace—a gold chain with a black and white penguin pendant hanging from it.  Amanda smiled, collecting the box as well to avoid any littering.

“That’s sooooo cute.”  Jamie teased, ruffling his sister’s hair.  “It will go with all those ridiculous penguins adorning your room.”

“You’re just jealous.”  She stuck her tongue out at him.  He grinned when she held the necklace out to him, silently asking for help.  He took the chain from her and she turned.  She lifted her hair from her neck and he clasped the necklace on her.  “Thank you, so much, Aunt Francine.”  Jamie had barely pulled his hands away when she flung herself back into Francine’s embrace.

“Kids today.  Too much energy.”  Phillip shook his head.


	2. Chapter 1

Gwen’s vision slowly returned to her.  She blinked rapidly, willing the remaining blurriness to disappear.  Under her fingers, she felt something soft and warm and…and instantly, she was on alert.  This was not how she’d been left before she’d passed out from whatever drug her captors had injected her with.  In fact, she’d been left with her hands bound, hanging from a rafter beam.  Why did she feel a pillow underneath her head?

She sat up quickly—bad idea.  Her eyes were still not completely focused, and she felt as though she’d left her head back on the pillow.

“Easy, now.”  The low timbre of the voice told her that the room had another, male, occupant.  But not the occupant she’d been expecting.  This voice did not belong to her ex-partner, nor did it sound like any of her other captors and tormentors.  “You’ve got to let the drugs leave your system completely before you start moving too much.”  Biting back nausea, she turned her head to look at the owner of the voice.

“Suuuure.”  She didn’t feel like she was slurring, but her ears picked up the drunken quality of her speech.  “Who er you?”  She placed the heels of both hands on her temples, as if that would somehow stop the drill sergeant from shouting in her head.

“Rest.”  She felt a hand on her shoulder that guided her back onto the bed.  “You’re safe here.  Just rest.”  She nodded and closed her eyes.

* * *

Once again, Gwen felt softness, only this time, it was cocooned around her.  She opened her eyes slightly…not wanting to attract any attention.  Glancing around the room, she found her vision had returned, and her head was no longer swimming.  She had no idea how long she’d been out—long enough for someone to fall asleep in the chair across the room.

Silently, she eased her way into a sitting position.  She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood.  She slunk her way towards the door and eased it open.  She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the damn thing creaked, and she recognized the sound of a gun’s hammer being pulled back.

“Geez, why don’t you just scare the crap out of me?”  That was the same voice from earlier.  She turned around slowly, surprised to see the gun already being put back in his shoulder holster.  “How’d you sleep?”  She remained silent…the whole situation was throwing her for a loop.  “I’m not going to hurt you, Gwen.”  

Her entire body tensed.  How did this man know her name?  She’d never met him, but something about his presence was familiar.  Her gut told her that she could trust him not to hurt her, but after the last few days, especially with her “partner” selling out and stringing her up, she wasn’t inclined to trust anyone.

“Show of good faith, ok?”  He pulled the gun out of its holster and, checking the safety, tossed it onto the bed.  Then he stood and raised his hands.  “Check.  I’ve got no other weapons.”  She hesitated, but eventually walked over and frisked him—he was clean.

“Who are you?”  She asked as he lowered his arms.

“You hungry?”  She eyed him…it seemed like déjà vu for him to avoid the question of his identity.  Before she had a chance to comment, her stomach grumbled.  “I’ll take that as a yes.  You can rest some more, and I’ll make you something to eat.”

“No more rest.  But I’ll help cook.”  He had to hide a smirk…of course she’d be leery to let a stranger cook for her.  He nodded and led the way to the kitchen.

* * *

He started pulling out the ingredients for pancakes, and she fell in beside him at the counter, both were completely silent.  He kept sneaking glances at her from the corner of his eye.  Her wavy, light brown hair and her deep chocolate eyes, not to mention the dimples that formed when she’d smiled in her sleep earlier.   She was beautiful.  

She reached out to grab the bowl he was handing her, when her dislocated shoulder made itself known.  The bowl slipped from her fingers as she hissed in pain, and crashed to the floor, shattering on impact.

“Don’t move.  You’ll slice your feet to ribbons.”  She nodded, acknowledging her bare feet.  “I’ll get the broom.”  As he walked towards what she could only assume was his pantry, she finally placed where she remembered him from.

“Oh my god, it’s you.”  He turned, startled.  “You…you’re…”

“Gwen…”

“You’re my guardian angel!”  One eyebrow shot up in question as he returned with a broom and dustpan and quickly swept up the shards of glass.  “I knew I’d seen you before.  You were at Grandma’s funeral.  And Uncle Billy’s.  And you were at Jamie’s wedding… and…and you were at my high school graduation.  And…now you’re here.”  As she rambled, her uninjured arm moved to play with the pendant hanging around her neck.  The small penguin that dangled from the chain that was now between her fingers reminded him of the way another woman used to toy with her necklace when she was nervous.

“Damn.”  He dumped the shards in the trash and tossed the dustpan and broom haphazardly back into the pantry.  Running a hand through his hair, his mind wandered back to each of the events she’d listed…and a few she hadn’t.  He thought he’d done a good job of being invisible…but hell…she’d only been 7 when Jamie had tied the knot.  And she’d spotted him?  He must be getting sloppy.

“I always thought you were there to make sure I was OK.  No one else saw you, ever.  But I did.  So I thought you were my guardian angel, letting me know that everything was going to turn out OK.  Is that why you’re here now?  Is this a dream and you’re here to let me know it’s going to be OK?”  Not once, in all that, had she needed to take a breath.  He sighed…she was too much like her mother.

“Gwen, calm down.  This isn’t a dream.  And I need to look at that shoulder.”  She nodded, and he approached her.  He cringed when he lifted her arm and she cried out in pain.  Tearing off the sleeve of her t-shirt, he saw the dark purple bruising marring her skin.  “I need to get you to a hospital.”

“Can’t you just fix it?  Isn’t that what angels do?”  She was still stuck on him being an angel?

“I’m not an angel.  I’m…” He cut himself off.  Should he continue?  “I’m your father.”


	3. Chapter 2

“No, my father’s been dead since I was a baby.  You must have me confused.”  There was no doubt in her voice.  Lee sighed…his daughter clung to what she knew as fact…just like he did.

“Gwen, look at me.  I don’t have you confused.  Your name is Guinevere Emily Stetson.  Your mother—Amanda Stetson.  You have two half-brothers—Phillip and Jamie King.  Your grandmother was Dotty West.  Uncle Billy?  Billy Melrose, head of International Film Federation.”

“All of that…that can easily be explained.  I don’t know what you’re getting at, but you need to stop.”  Finally, he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes.  He just had to keep chipping away.

“Your mother used to work at International Film Federation.  Except, it wasn’t really a film anything.  She was an undercover agent working for the Agency.  Her partner, Scarecrow, was supposedly killed saving you and her when you were just four.  Well, he wasn’t…I wasn’t.  My name is Lee Stetson, and you’re my daughter.”

“Stop it!  Just stop it!”  She tried to turn away, but he held her tightly.  The pain in her shoulder where he gripped her was almost overshadowed by the pain this man was inflicting on her emotions.  Why did he save her if he just wanted to kill her this way?

“Gwen, your mother has a scar on her shoulder…she was shot on our honeymoon.  You have a scar on the bottom of your left foot…when you were a baby, you and your mother were kidnapped, and they put out a cigarette on your heel to torture you.”  

She couldn’t stop her left foot from lifting, as if of its own power, and she looked down.  She knew it would be there, and yet she prayed it would magically disappear.  She’d seen the scar—knew it well—and there it was.  How the hell…  There was no way he could have known about that scar…unless…

“Don’t touch me!”  She finally pulled her shoulder away from him and this time, couldn’t help the wince in pain at the sudden movement.  “Just leave me alone.”  She growled as he attempted to touch her shoulder again.

“Gwen, your shoulder.  You need help…”

“If you are my father, you lost the privilege to help me when you walked out on me.”  Her voice was low and steady.  Deadly, even.  She pushed past him and walked into the bedroom she’d come from.  He decided to take it as a good sign that she wasn’t denying their relation any more.

His debate on whether to follow her was decided for him when the door slammed shut and he heard the unmistakable sound of the door being locked.  He knew he could easily get into the room, but he decided to give her some time, and instead, he walked over to the recliner and plopped into it.  Despite his attempts to clear his head, he couldn’t help but relive the past few days in his mind.


	4. Chapter 3

Lee Stetson sank into the recliner in his living room.  He’d just spent the afternoon hearing the play-by-play of a rookie’s first op.  Was this how Billy had felt when Lee first started working at the Agency?  If it was, he hadn’t given the man enough credit.

Trying to erase the over-eager voice from his brain, he almost didn’t notice his answering machine light blinking.  He attempted to reach over and hit the play button, but he was just too damn tired.  His lids started to fall of their own accord.

“Stetson!”  He barked into the phone.  The ringing had woken him from a dreamless sleep, and he was cranky.

“Lee!  She’s gone!”  He’d know that voice anywhere…his…scratch that…she wasn’t his anymore.

“Amanda, who’s gone?”  Even as he asked, his gut told him.

“Gwen!  She was supposed to be part of a sting, but she hasn’t checked in.  She’s been missing for two days!”

“And you tell me now?”  He had no right to get angry with Amanda.  

“I just got the call.  The sting was against her former partner.  She figured out he was in ranks with some al Qaeda members.  Everything was set up, but somehow she got separated from the rest of her team.   She hasn’t made contact with anyone in her unit since…that means her partner knew what she was doing, right?  He knew she was planning on busting him, right?”

“Amanda, calm down, OK?”  Even as he was telling her to calm down, he could feel his own head dying to implode.  “Where was all this going down?”

“Here in DC.  Lee, they aren’t doing enough to find her!  Her boss told me they have put two agents on this, but that it’s possible she’s sold out too.  Lee, you know Gwen would NEVER sell out.  We have to find her.”

“Amanda…”

“Damn it, Lee.  Please don’t turn away from her again.”  He could tell she was near breaking.

“I’ll be on the next flight there.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

“I wasn’t going to stay away.”  He said as he strode away from the gate and approached her.  She cocked her head to the side in question, weariness overwhelming her.  “You asked me not to turn away from her again.  I hadn’t planned on it.”  She nodded.

“Bags?”

“Just this.”  He indicated the duffel bag in his hand.  

After he’d gotten off the phone with her just twenty hours prior, he’d made a mad dash to shove random clothes into the first bag he’d come across.  He’d used his position to get a ticket on the soonest flight to DC.  Then he’d spent the entire flight going over possible scenarios for how this “reunion” would go down.  So far, nothing explosive, but they were still in public.  If she was going to kill him, she’d surely do it without witnesses.

“Let’s go.  You can tell me the info you’ve got in the car.”

* * *

“…that’s all I can get from anyone.  They won’t even give me a specific location where this operation was supposed to take place.  I’ve got no idea where I go from here.”

“I’ll start by making my presence known first thing tomorrow with the head of her department.  I will insist on being involved in the investigation.”

“I’m going with you.”

“Amanda…”

“Do not argue with me, Stetson.  I am her mother, and I will be damned if I let anyone…even YOU…keep me from helping her.”  She was tired and irritable, and refused to be put in a corner.

“Alright.  But you’re not an official agent anymore, so you best let me handle the talking.”

“Yeah, well, I’d be an official agent if someone hadn’t convinced me I needed to resign.”  She released the steering wheel with one hand and slapped it over her mouth.  “I’m sorry.”

“What hotel am I staying at?”  He winced, hoping to change the subject.

“You’re not.  It’s the too close to the fourth of July, and the hotels I called were booked.  You’re with me tonight.  If it’s too unbearable, you can find your own place tomorrow.”  Her voice dripped with disdain.

“Fine.”  He felt a tick in his jaw…this was agony.  Forget being tied up and being subjected to beatings by a foreign agent…forget listening to the ranting of the rookie agent from earlier… _This_ was torture.  Riding in the car with your estranged wife…


	5. Chapter 4

“I’m sorry, sir.  As I explained to Mrs. Stetson, I am not at liberty to give out details of our cases.”  Lee had to physically bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at the woman in front of him.

“Then let me talk to the person who can.”

“That’s not how this works, Mr. Uh…Mr….”

“Mr. Stetson.  Lee Stetson.”  The young woman’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“That’s not possible.”  She looked back and forth between Amanda and Lee.  Shit…if this was the Lee Stetson, Gwen’s FATHER…oh dear.  She’d be the one answering for that screw up, as keeping files in order was her job.  “Gwen…Gwen told me you were dead.”  Had Gwen lied to her?  Shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the charges Gwen was now facing.

“Well, uh…”

“Lee has been undercover.  Gwen didn’t know.  He went undercover when she was so young, I figured if she knew the truth, she might blurt it out at the wrong time and ruin his whole mission, possibly getting him killed.  He just wrapped up his investigation, and he came to find her.”  Lee looked at Amanda with mild amusement.  She still had her gift of rambling, not to mention, her ability to make up some crazy story on the fly.

“Well,” the secretary bit her lip.  “I’m not authorized to give out any information.  But here.”  She snatched a business card from her desk and handed it to Lee.  “You’ll want to talk to Agent Don Simons.  He’s the assistant director and Gwen’s boss.  He’s the one to talk to.”  She paused.  “He’s out today.  Call him tomorrow.”

* * *

“That was a total waste of time.”  Amanda growled as they got back into the car.  “I’ve already talked to Simons.  Hell, I’ve talked to everyone at that place.  No one has given me a straight answer, yet.”

“Maybe your clearance just isn’t high enough.”  He didn’t even have to look at her to know she was glaring at him.  “I’ll call first thing tomorrow morning and see what I can dig up.”

“Fine.”

* * *

He woke with a start.  It took him a moment to register where he was—on the bed in the room that had once belonged to his two step-sons.  It was surreal.  He never thought he’d be back in this house.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the noise that had woken him in the first place.  Something or someone was in the kitchen.  He reached under his pillow and cursed at the lack of weapon.  Something wasn’t right.

Silently, he crept down the stairs and darted into the room.  His breath caught in his throat when he realized Amanda was standing at the sink, crying.  He approached her cautiously.

“Amanda?”

Instead of getting angry at his intrusion on her emotional break, she turned and flung herself into his arms.  Caught off-guard, he tentatively wrapped his arms around her.  She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears soaking through his t-shirt.  

“I can’t lose her.”  Amanda sobbed.  “She’s all I have left of…”  She stopped herself from continuing her sentence.  Lee felt her tense as soon as the words were out of her mouth.  She pulled herself away from him and went immediately to work trying to straighten up the already spotless kitchen.

“Of what?”  He knew he shouldn’t be pressing her for an answer—at least not in the emotional state she was in.  But he couldn’t help himself.  He put his hands on Amanda’s shoulders and turned her around to face him.  “She’s all you have left of what?”

“Nothing.  Just drop it.”  She refused to meet his gaze, which only served to further pique his interest.  

“Amanda…”

“Of you, ok?  She’s all I have left of you.”  She took a deep breath and forged ahead.  “I hate that you’ve been gone so long that I don’t instantly think of you when I look out the kitchen window.  I hate that when I see a silver corvette that I don’t automatically check the tag anymore.  And…” Her voice caught, but she couldn’t stop.  “…and I hate that I can fall asleep on sheets that don’t smell like you.”  He cocked his head to the side.  “For the longest time, I had to spray your pillow with your cologne just so I could get some sleep at night.  But now…”  She groaned and hid her face in her hands.  

He was shocked—no, more than that.  This went beyond shocked.  She had moved on after her divorce from Joe.  He’d spent many a night praying, to a deity he wasn’t even sure he believed in, that she would move on after he left.  He sure as hell knew he couldn’t move on after her, but he’d never wanted her to suffer that same fate.

“I’m sorry, Lee.”  He looked at her and realized in his moment of reflection, she had composed herself.  “That’s in the past, and I won’t bring it up again.  Right now, we just need to concentrate on finding her.”  She turned and dashed up the stairs, shutting herself up in her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 5

“Damn it!”  Lee slammed down the phone.

That...that...person, Don Simons, was doing everything he could to screw up the hunt for their daughter.

Amanda’s jump in surprise didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sorry.”

She sighed and began to drum her fingers on the table rapidly.  “What did he say?”

“He said that because he and Gwen were the only ones who knew the exact specifics of the sting, he’s accusing her of being a part of Fisher’s plan.”

“Oh my gosh.”  She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to force herself not to cry.  Just as she was about to ask another question, the phone rang.  “Hello?” She snatched it up before he had a chance to grab it.

“I know where your daughter is.”  The voice on the other end had been scrambled, but the message was clear.

“Where is she?”  Lee reached for the phone but she refused to release it.  “Please tell me.”

“She’s being held in one of the abandoned warehouses along the Potomac.”

“Is she OK?”  The click seemed to echo through Amanda’s soul.  She held the receiver away from her ear and just stared at it for a moment, restraining herself from throwing it as hard as she could.  “Lee…”

“We’ll get her back.  I promise.”  He took her into his arms and let her cry.

* * *

“You know this is bullshit.”

“You tell me this is bullshit again, I will shoot you.”

Amanda’s attention perked up when she caught the sounds of two of her daughter’s captors bickering.  Technically, she wasn’t 100% certain her daughter was even here.  Well, her hus--former husband wasn’t, anyway.  She, herself, had a gut feeling that told her Gwen was somewhere inside the gray, drab building.

“But you know it is.  We’re professionals, and that bastard has us babysitting some bitch.”

“Hey, that bitch nearly cost us this whole operation.”

“That’s what I mean.  Why don’t we just shoot her and move on?  I’m sick and tired of sitting on my ass, doing nothing, but watching her.”

“Fisher’s paying us good money just to sit and watch her.”

Amanda nudged Lee to wake him.  She’d heard the man mention Fisher.  True, Fisher wasn’t a completely uncommon surname, but what were the chances of another Fisher holding someone other than Gwen captive in the very same place she’d been told Gwen would be?

“What?” He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to propel himself further into consciousness.

She put her finger to her lips, then pointed over the side of the building they were set up on to the one they’d been observing for almost a full day.  Lee sighed and picked up the second set of headphones.

“OK, but why does it take three of us to watch her?  With all the drugs we pump into her, she’s not going anywhere.  I just don’t understand why--”

“You’re not paid to understand why.”  A third voice joined the other two.  “You’re paid to watch her.  If you don’t like it, you can always be replaced.”

“Never mind.”  The slight tremor in the first voice told Amanda exactly what ‘being replaced’ meant for him.

“She’s in there, Lee.”  Amanda whispered.

“Did they say her name?”

“No, but they mentioned Fisher.”  She frowned at the skepticism she saw on his face.  “Damn it, Lee.  She’s in there!”

“Alright, alright.”  He held up his hands in surrender.  “I need to meet up with someone.”

She studied him for a moment, but didn’t voice the question she wanted to ask.  He didn’t offer her an explanation, even though he could tell she was looking for one.  Instead, they both began to pack up their equipment.

* * *

“Lee Stetson, as I live and breathe.”  Augie Swann stood up from his desk when he recognized the man who had just barged into his office.  “Mrs. King told me you had died.”  He never had been able to make the transition from King to Stetson.

“Augie.”  Lee felt ridiculously uncomfortable in the surprisingly elegant office of his former snitch.  “You seem to have done pretty well for yourself.”  More than pretty well, if this office was any indication.  “Didn’t realize there was so much money to be had in mud wrestling.”

“Hah!” Augie laughed. “I moved on to investment banking.”  He studied Lee for a moment.  “I swear I thought Mrs. King had told me you were dead.”

“And I bet you were just heartbroken over that.” Lee mocked.

“I was.  Well, I was sad.  I may have cried.  I don’t remember.”

“Sure you cried.  You cried over the money you wouldn’t be able to score from me for passing on information.”  

Augie smirked.  “What brings you here?”

“Well, aside from investment banking, I hear you may know where I can get my hands on some weapons.”

“I--well, I am just downright shocked, Lee.  What would make you think I would be dealing in anything less that complete honest business?”  Augie clutched his chest as though physically wounded.

“Those bastards have my daughter!” Lee growled, grabbing the lapels of Augie’s suit.  “I need to get her out!”

Augie felt like he’d gone back twenty years.  “Who has Gwen?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“Terrorists, Augie.” Lee released his hold on the other man.  “They’re using her as collateral.”

“Alright.”  Augie picked up his phone and dialed.  “I don’t deal directly with weapons, but I know someone who can help.”

* * *

“You have everything we need now?” Amanda asked, loading cases into a backpack.  Thinking back, she remembered filling backpacks with books and lunches.  Never magazine clips, tear-gas bombs, and other assorted weaponry.  Never, until this moment.

“I think so.  Are you ready for this?”  In all her time as an agent, she’d never shot to kill.  Would she hesitate tonight?

“I’m not leaving without her.”  Amanda knew what Lee was thinking, but she steeled herself for any possible outcomes this night might bring.


	7. Chapter 6

"I feel like they let us escape.”  Amanda commented as they sped away from the building.  She turned to look at the form of her sleeping, injured daughter, sprawled out across the back seat of her car.

“ _Let_ us?  Amanda, three people were just shot while we were breaking her out.”  Lee scoffed, trying to concentrate on driving.

“Don’t talk to me like I wasn’t there.  I’m just telling you what I think.”  She said, crossly.  “The phone call, the location…it seems like it was a setup.”

“Look, we got her out.  Be thankful.”

“It’s still odd.”  Lee sighed and shook his head.  Suddenly, she gasped, causing him to almost slam on the brakes.

“What?”

“Lee, he knows where we live.”  He looked over at her in alarm.  “Fisher.  He’s been to the house.”  She cringed when he slammed his hands against the steering wheel.

“Damn it, Amanda…”

“He.  Was.  Her.  Partner.  What was I supposed to think?  She trusted him, so I trusted him.”  She was just as upset as he was, but his anger towards her was unjustified.

“I’m sorry.”  He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.  “Try calling around for a hotel room.  Maybe there’s something available now.  Money is no object, at this point.”

* * *

Amanda smacked door frame in frustration.  It was still too close to the holiday weekend, and nothing seemed to be available.  Why did this have to happen now?  The 411 operator had to be getting tired of redirecting her call every five minutes.

“Happy Hotel, Mel speaking.  How can I help you?”  The tired voice reached her ears and Amanda grew even more cross than before.  How could this woman be tired…this Mel woman didn’t even know the meaning of tired.

“Do you have anything available?”

“We do, ma’am.  One suite.  We usually only rent those out by the week, though.  Did you need it just for tonight?”  Oh my gosh.  Finally, a break.

“Actually, I have no idea how long we’ll need it.  But we’ll start with a week.”  Lee glanced over, curiosity nagging at him.  They’d been driving around the DC area for about an hour, unsure of a safe place.

“Sure.  Name?”

“West.”

“Ok, so we’ll have the room ready for you in a few hours.”

“No!”  She grimaced, then tried again.  “No, we’ll take it, as is.  We need the room now.”

“Alright.  We take all major credit cards.  Do you know how to find us?”  

Amanda dug through the glove compartment and pulled out an old envelope and a pen.  Making sure the pen still worked, she jotted down the brief directions she was given and then turned off the phone.

“Take the next right.”

“Where are we going?”

“Happy Hotel.  We’re getting one of their weekly suites.”  She said it with distaste, but continued to give him directions until they reached their destination.

* * *

“I’ll be back.”  Amanda snatched the keys off the end table.  

They’d been cooped up in the suite for almost twenty-four hours, and she needed to get out.  Gwen was still unconscious…had been since they’d rescued her.  What little sleep Amanda had managed to get had been consumed by dreams—dreams she thought she’d moved past—of the time when both she and Gwen had been held captive.  She had to get out and clear her mind or, she feared, she might finally go completely insane.

“I’m going to get groceries.  There are still a few things in the cabinets and some milk in the fridge, but since we don’t know how long we’re going to be here, I figure I better go pick up some more food.”  She’d already been through the kitchen, tossing out anything that had already been opened.  That left very little for them to survive on, for who knew how long.

“I’ll go.”  Lee jumped up from the couch.  

“No.”  She shook her head.  “You’re the one who’s armed.”  Now that Gwen was out, Amanda had refused to carry a gun.  After all, she wasn’t certified to carry one anymore.  “If someone comes after her, I want you guarding her.  You can protect her.”  Lee felt a wave of emotion wash over him, but he was unable to name just what he was feeling.  “I’ll be back.”  She dashed out of the room before he could protest further.


	8. Chapter 7

Gwen paced back and forth in the small bedroom.  There was no way this was possible.  Her mom had told her several times that her father was dead…not “gone”…DEAD.  Why would her mother have lied about that?

She stopped pacing and sank down on the bed, her head spinning again due to the pain in her shoulder.  She closed her eyes in an attempt to quell the nausea that once again threatened to overcome her.  Unbidden, her mind brought up the picture in her mom’s room…the one she’d tried to memorize…the family portrait consisting of her mom holding an infant Gwen, and being embraced from behind by her father.  The similarities between the man in the photograph and the man on the other side of the door were undeniable.  

* * *

She didn’t remember dozing off.  She must have though, because she was startled out of slumber by a sudden commotion coming from the other side of the door.  Hearing a door open and someone enter the room, curiosity got the better of her as she wondered who else was in there…in there with her father. She crept back to the door and pressed herself up against it.

“She’s awake.”

“How is she?”  That was her mother’s voice.  Her voice lacked the surprise Gwen expected to hear.  So she knew.  She knew all along that her father was still alive.  Gwen felt as though she was drowning in the deception.

“Physically, she seems OK, save a dislocated shoulder.  But…she knows about me.”  Silence greeted her.  “I’m sorry, Manda.  It’s just…she thought I was her guardian angel.”

“What are you sorry for, Lee?  I’ve never wanted this…separation…for either of you.”  She waited for a response.

“I did what I had to do to protect both of you.”  Protect her?  As much as she wanted to burst out of this room and start demanding answers from her…her parents, more of her wanted to run.  She glanced back around the room…bingo.  A window.  She walked to it and tried to open it.  Having only one hand to maneuver it with caused a delay, but finally she got it opened enough for her to wedge herself out of it.  Climbing out on the balcony, she took one last glance back before descending.

* * *

“Protect us from what?” Worry for her daughter finally caught up to Amanda and she snapped at Lee.  “You leaving certainly didn’t protect her from joining the FBI and getting kidnapped.”

“Amanda…” Lee’s voice trailed off.  As much as he’d hoped his daughter would take a safe path and become a teacher or a nurse, she’d followed in his footsteps, albeit, unknowingly.  “I’m sorry.”

“You were sorry when you left us.  Now I’ve got to explain to my baby girl that I’ve lied to her for her entire life.”  Amanda turned towards the bedroom, but Lee grabbed her arm.

“You know why I had to go.”  His face hardened, but she refused to cower.

“I don’t know why I ever agreed to tell her you were dead.”  But she did know why.  When he’d explained why he was leaving, she’d begged for him to stay.  She’d never gotten angry when he'd left anyway…she’d loved him too much.  She knew he had to face his demons, and she’d let her unyielding faith in him dictate her actions.  But now…  “If you had been half the man I thought you were, you’d have realized that we needed you.”  Lee’s expression softened.  “She needed you.”  She amended.

“I couldn’t stay knowing that I’d almost cost you both your lives.”

“I could have gotten out long before Guinevere came along.  I knew what the risks were.”

“But she didn’t.”

“She knew what the risks were before she joined up.”  She snatched her arm out of his.  “You think just because you walked away, she was going to stay safe?  You can’t put her in a bubble.  You can’t wave a magic wand and make everything work out the way you want it to.  You have to work at life.  But you wouldn’t know that…you’re too busy running away every time you get scared.”

“Enough.”

“No.”  She used her index finger and began poking him in the chest.  “You wanted out of my life, fine.  You wanted out of your daughter’s life, fine.  But you can’t just leave again.  Not now.”

“Amanda…”

“Don’t ‘Amanda’ me.  She’s your DAUGHTER.  She’s needed you in her life…and now that you’re back in, you will stay in.  I will NOT let you leave her again.”  Lee sighed and ran a hand over his face.  He could have easily stayed away, could have continued simply watching from the sidelines.  But that would mean...No, he refused to even think about that.  “Come on.  We need to talk to her.”  She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Alright.”  He walked past her to the door of the bedroom.  Pulling a paper clip from his pocket, he made quick work of the lock on the door.  “Damn.”

“Wha—oh.”

“I seem to remember this scene from somewhere.”  She couldn’t help the smile that found its way to her lips.  “She couldn’t have gotten too far.  You stay here, and I’ll follow after her.”

“Not a chance, Scarecrow.  She’s my daughter.”  He sighed, but he wasn’t surprised.  He just shook his head and started out the window, Amanda right behind him.

* * *

Being drugged hadn’t caused Gwen’s head to spin as much as the information that was now running through it.  She’d barely managed to give the cab driver a clear address, and now, she was sitting on a seat that smelled of vomit.

“Hey, lady.  You OK?”  She glanced up.  “You’re not gonna get sick back there, are you?”

“No.”  Her voice came out little more than a whisper.

“Good.  I hate cleaning up puke.”    Lost in her thoughts, Gwen didn’t realize they’d finally reached her destination.  “That’s $67.50.”

“Oh…shit.  Let me just run inside.”

“Damn it.  I knew I shouldn’t have picked you up.  I am so dead.  Jeff is gonna have my head for screwing up the fare yet again.”

“Look…it’s a federal building.  You walk in with me, and I will get you your money.  Please don’t get upset, alright?  I’ll even throw an extra twenty in it if you just calm down.”  She watched as he observed her through his rear-view mirror.  He seemed to be weighing his options.

“Fine.  But I’ve only got ten minutes.”  He pulled into a parking spot in front of the pristine brick building.

* * *

An hour later found Gwen sitting in an interrogation cell, handcuffed to a chair, the stiffed cab driver forgotten.  Her boss, the man she’d idealized as an agent, had transformed into the cruel, heartless interrogator she’d seen him become with suspects.

“I don’t know where he is.  I didn’t have the luxury of seeing where they were taking me.  And I don’t have any recollection of being rescued.”

“Your father?  Convenient how he’s been dead for the last eighteen years, and yet, somehow, he magically shows up here in DC the week you’re both kidnapped and rescued.”  She paled—what the hell was going on, and why did she feel completely out of the loop?  “The Bureau doesn’t appreciate being lied to.  And I refuse to be made a fool of.”  Simons nodded to the other agent in the room—Agent Johnson—then left.

“Guinevere Stetson, you are being charged with committing acts of terror against the United States.  Until otherwise proven guiltless, you will remain in FBI custody for the remainder of your interrogation.  After your interrogation, you will be sent to a detention facility, where you will await trial.  The punishment, should you be found guilty of terrorism in trial, will be death.”

Gwen found it difficult to breathe, even after she was left alone.  She knew that despite the speech she’d been given, she’d already been tried and convicted.  There was no way out, no way to save herself, no way to prove her innocence—she was going to die.


	9. Chapter 8

“Talk to me.”  Normally, Amanda would be bursting at the seams to talk to anyone about anything.  They’d finally managed to locate Gwen—again, a prisoner…only this time, it was the ‘good guys’ holding her.  As Lee backed the car out of the parking lot of the federal building where their daughter was currently locked away, Amanda was quiet as a mouse.

“No.”  Lee felt the tick return to his jaw.  He would prefer her boiling over in anger, yelling and screaming at him, than for her to remain closed off.  It wasn’t like her, and it worried him.

“Come on, Amanda.  It’s not like you to keep all this bottled up.”

“Don’t tell me what is and is not ‘like’ me.  How the hell would you know what I’m like?  You haven’t seen me…” Her voice trailed off as her mind began to spin.  “Oh my gosh.”

“What?”  He pulled to a stop at the red light and glanced over at her.  She wasn’t looking at him, but he knew she was seething.

“You were there!”  Her hands were clenched in fists at her side.  “I thought she was just experiencing some sort of psychological trauma…but you…she…oh my gosh.”  Her sudden loss of speech caused concern.  She was NEVER at a loss for words.

“What are you talking about?”  He had to turn away from her at the sound of honking from behind.  Looking ahead, he saw the green light and quickly accelerated.

“You were at Jamie’s wedding.  She told me she saw you.”  Amanda drew in a ragged breath.  “I told her she was mistaken.  She told me then you were her guardian angel.  I should have thought of it before when you said she called you her guardian angel.  She…her teacher…oh my gosh.”

“Spit it out, Amanda.”  He hadn’t meant for the words to come out as harsh sounding as they did.

“She was telling her teacher how she saw you.  All of her records indicated that you were dead.  Her teacher recommended I send her to counseling.  I sent my baby to counseling.”  Her unspoken ‘because of you’ rang in his ears.  “She never brought up seeing you after that.  But I’d bet my last dollar that wasn’t the only time she saw you.”

“She mentioned she saw me at your mother’s funeral.  And at Billy’s.”  His voice was barely more than a whisper at the mention of their old boss’s name.

“The two of you never did get things squared away, did you?”  Her voice lacked the anger it had held mere moments before.

“No.”  Billy had been his best man at their second, public, wedding ceremony.  They’d named him Gwen’s godfather.  Lee considered the man to be his closest friend.  Then, when he’d made the decision to leave…  “I don’t think he ever forgave me for walking away from you.”

“He loved you.  He knew why you did what you did.  Didn’t mean he had to like it.”

“If he didn’t like it, why did he agree to help me?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe, he was like me in thinking you’d eventually come to your senses, realize what you were giving up, and change your mind.”

Lee thought back to the last conversation he had with Billy Melrose.  It certainly hadn’t been pleasant.  As the older man had signed the paperwork regarding Lee’s death and subsequent funeral arrangements, he’d made a thinly veiled threat—if Lee was hell bent on destroying his family, he need never show his face in DC again.

* * *

“I think it’s time to call in the cavalry.” Amanda interrupted Lee’s thoughts.

Lee blew out a sigh.  He knew he didn’t want to, but it would have to happen eventually, if they were to ever get their daughter out of the situation she was in.

“She’s going to be pissed.”

“I know.  But we’ll just have to deal with that when we get there.”


	10. Chapter 9

The doorbell rang and Lee instantly tensed up.  That must be Francine.  She was going to kill him.  Granted, she had every right to, as did pretty much everyone else he’d screwed over, but he knew she wouldn’t think twice about it.  But she’d have to wait until after his daughter was no longer considered a possible terrorist.

“I’ll get it.”  Amanda stood and headed for the door.  Lee braced himself and set his jaw as she swung the door open.

“Amanda, I can’t believe what…” Francine burst into the house, walking and talking at the same time…but stopped dead when her eyes landed on him.  She whirled around to look at Amanda.  “You called him before you called me?”  

This was not the reaction Lee had been expecting.  In fact, the way she spoke indicated that she was more irritated to see him here than shocked to see him alive.

“What gives?”  He looked back and forth between the two women.  His eyes finally settled on Francine.  “You knew?”

“Of course I knew.”  She rolled her eyes.  “Not all of Billy’s secrets were buried with him.”

“But you never said anything?”  He couldn’t help the incredulous tone.  He’d never known Francine not to talk…at least about things that didn’t concern national security.

“Oh, words were had.”  

The look on Amanda’s face told him that the conversation had been far from cordial.  

“I can’t believe you’d call him before me.”

“I tried calling you.”  Amanda finally spoke.  “Your assistant said you were out of the country.  Zero contact.”

“Wait.  You called her first?”

“And why shouldn’t she?  You don’t have the best track record for being there for your family.”  Francine glared at him.

“I will not defend my actions to you, Francine, or to anyone else.  I did what I thought was right.”

“Does Gwen know?”  Francine ignored Lee and turned back to Amanda, her features softening.

“She does now.”  Amanda felt sick with guilt.  “She was with us, but once she found out, she just took off.”

“And I guess she wasn’t aware of the charges being brought against her when she went back?”  Amanda nodded and Francine closed her eyes.  “Looks like you’re wrong again, Scarecrow.”  She didn’t wait for Lee to respond before continuing.  “Once we get Gwen out, you’ll have to defend your actions to her.”

“Desmond—”

“Stetson—”

“Stop it!”  Amanda forced her way between the two feuding agents.  “Just stop it.  The two of you bickering is not going to get Guinevere out.  Get her out first, and then you can kill each other.”  Lee and Francine had identical looks of concern for her.  

* * *

“How should I know?”  Francine stood up from her spot on Amanda’s couch.  “I need some air.  Excuse me.”  She stalked over to the back door and let herself out into the yard.  

From the couch, Amanda could hear Francine let out a long, loud scream of frustration.

“Lee!”  She snapped, turning back to her husband.  “We need her.  She could be the only one able to get Gwen!  Please, stop aggravating her.”

“Maybe if she’d stop making snide comments, I wouldn’t have to aggravate her.”  Amanda pursed her lips.  

“Listen up, buster.  You accept her help; you listen to what she has to say.  You be nice.  The stakes in this are too high for you to mess this up because you can’t let go of your pride.”

“Amanda…”  The look on her face cut him off.  He closed his eyes in frustration.  The image that popped up in his mind was of Gwen—not angry like he’d last seen her, but terrified and incoherent, hanging from the rafters of that moldy room he’d found her in.  “I’m sorry.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that.”  Francine’s voice surprised both Amanda and Lee.  She made her way back to the spot on the couch she’d vacated just moments earlier.  “So, we can’t get Simons to release her to my custody.  We can’t get any of the files on this whole operation.  And we have no idea where her partner is.”

“Ex-partner.  I don’t want that bastard’s name even remotely linked to Gwen.”  Lee growled.  He wanted nothing more than to rip Fisher’s throat out and force-feed it back to him.

“Agreed.  But until we can find him, the FBI will operate under the assumption that Gwen knew what he was doing and simply organized that sting as a way to keep herself out of trouble while she relayed sensitive information to him.”  Lee worked his jaw.  “We need to bring him in.  Alive.”

“Right.”  Lee grumbled, not liking that she could tell what he was thinking.  He looked down at the coffee table and pushed some of the papers around.  “But he’s not alone.  Amanda and I were barely able to get her out before.  He’s going to be on the alert.  Not to mention, we have no idea where he’s currently holed up.  Chances are, now that he doesn’t have Gwen as a bargaining chip, he’s going to go further underground.”

“No shit.  I’m not a freshman agent, Scarecrow.”

“Don’t start.”  Amanda shot them both a warning glare.  She hadn’t had to play referee for anyone since before Gwen was born, a time when Philip and Jamie had decided they both needed to play the ‘mature older brother’ role.  Both Francine and Lee nodded.  “How do we find him?”

“We’ll have to get info from someone at the Bureau.”

“I happen to have a few contacts.”  Both agents turned to Amanda.  “Still a stenographer, remember?  A government stenographer?”  She saw both make a mental connection.  “Plus, there’s always Jimmy.”  She glanced at the clock on the stove.  “It’s late.  I will have to call him tomorrow and see what he can do to help us.”

“Jimmy?”  Lee couldn’t control the way his voice held a jealous lilt to it.  Francine snorted.  “Another secretary?”

“Not a secretary.  So get off your high horse.”  Amanda stood and collected the now empty coffee cups from the table.  “He’s an inter-agency courier, so he’s not completely attached to the Bureau.  But he always seems to know what’s going on.  Gwen brought him home for Thanksgiving last year.  He doesn’t have any family in town, and she thought he could join us for dinner.”

“Oh, yeah.   He’s the one from South Carolina, right?”  Francine perked up.  She remembered Gwen mentioning him in at least one of their semi-regular phone calls.

“Right.  He’s such a sweet kid.  I thought for sure he had a crush on Gwen.  I even kept hinting that she should approach him first, since he seemed shy.” Amanda cringed.  “God, I’ve turned into my mother.”  She paused, shaking her head.  She brought the cups into the kitchen and set them in the sink.  “Anyway, she finally told me it wasn’t going to work out…apparently, he’s gay.”

“Oh, Amanda.”  Francine shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.  She stood and joined Amanda in the kitchen.  She opened her mouth to ask a question when Amanda turned and answered for her.

“In the fridge, behind the salad bowl.”

“You know me too well.”  Francine reached into the fridge and pulled out a plate of brownies.  “I don’t understand how she can eat them cold.”

“She says they’re chewier when they’re cold.” Amanda watched in mild amusement as Francine took two off the plate and put them on a separate plate.  She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing when Francine put the plate with two back in the fridge and stuck the original plate with the other ten brownies in the microwave.  

Lee watched the two women interact in silence.  It seemed like only yesterday that Francine couldn’t stand Amanda and thought of herself too highly to do anything with her.  Sure, over the years of his partnership with Amanda, Francine had grown to respect her as an agent and as a person.  And yes, they’d agreed to name Francine as Gwen’s godmother.  But he’d never expected them to seem…so close.  He felt like an outsider.  Of course, that’s what he was.


	11. Chapter 10

“Thanks, Jimmy.  I’ll keep you posted.”  Amanda hung up the phone and turned to Francine and Lee.  “Apparently, the scuttlebutt is hinting that Fisher has moved his operation, now that he no longer has Gwen.   You were right, he’s gone deeper into hiding.”  Her hands were clenched into fists.  “He also heard that Simons is cooking up a plan to use Gwen as bait.”

“This Simons guy is a dumb-ass.  She’s not part of Fisher’s crew.  He won’t bite.   The only thing this will accomplish is to put her in unnecessary danger.”  Lee growled deep in his chest.

“Don’t forget, Scarecrow…she’s being considered a terrorist.  They don’t care if she’s put in ‘unnecessary danger.’”  Francine pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping to stave off the impending headache for just awhile longer.  “Jimmy have anything else?”

“He says Intel is pointing to Fisher still being in the US.  The FBI doesn’t want to alert the media, because they don’t want the country to be in a panic.”

“Which also means he’s free to roam around whenever and wherever he wants.  Fantastic.”  Lee growled.  All three of them knew that Simons’ actions were strikes against Gwen being released.  The longer it took to find Fisher, the longer it would take for her to be free.

“Would Gwen know where we might find him?”  

Lee glared at Francine.  “Are you suggesting she is working with him?”

“Not at all.  But they were partners for a while.  It’s possible that in their time as legit partners, he revealed something to her.  Something that, at the time, seemed inconsequential, but could be vital in locating him.”  Francine reached for the phone during her explanation.  “Desmond, here.  Get me Simons….No, I don’t care that he’s in conference.  This is a matter of national security.  I’ll hold.”

“How did you know his number?”

“You’ve been gone a long time, Scarecrow.”  Amanda chided.

“I’m Leader-One, genius.  It’s something I need to know.  Saves time from having to give all sorts of password verifications.”  Francine rolled her eyes.  “Yes, Simons.  I am coming in to question Guinevere Stetson…yes, I know she’s being held as a possible terrorist…I am well aware that I used to work with her parents.  Are you aware that I am also the girl’s godmother?  I understand you can’t give her parents clearance to interrogate her.  I need no such clearance….I’m sure.  Since you haven’t had any luck in ‘cracking’ her, what have you got to lose in letting me try?  Perhaps I can get more out of her than you can….Sure.  I’ll be there in an hour.”  Francine hung up the phone.

“Cracking her?”  Amanda was pale.

“She’ll be fine.  I promise.  I will have Simons tarred and feathered if he’s done so much as look at her the wrong way.”


	12. Chapter 11

“She’s in there.”  The guard showed Francine the door.  Refusing to acknowledge the trepidation she felt, she held her head high as she entered the room.  The sight before her caused her to gasp.

“Don’t worry.  They haven’t hit me with waterboarding.”  Gwen’s voice was weak.  She was so tired, she could barely keep her head up.  Her clothes were torn and bloody, as was her face.  Her hands were bound behind her back and she was strapped to the chair she was sitting in.  “I’m pretty sure it’s still illegal.”  She forced her head up and she looked at Francine with a wry smile.  “Although, last I checked, it was illegal for them to keep me in here without letting me see a lawyer…so…you never know.”

“Gwen.”

“Simons told me you’re here to interrogate me.  I’ll tell you like I told him and everyone else that’s been in here…I don’t know anything about what David Fisher is planning.  I didn’t even know he was working with al Qaeda.  I just knew he’d sold out when I set up the sting.  I didn’t know who he sold out to.”

“I know.”  

Gwen snorted in disgust.

“Bull shit.”  

Francine worked her jaw in frustration.  She would skin Simons alive for making the girl in front of her scared to talk to her.

“Gwen, I’m here to help you.”

“Sure, just like all the other interrogators were.  Ask me a few questions, then when I don’t respond the way you want me to, you’ll pistol whip me.”

“Come on, Gwen.  I would never hurt you.   You know me.”

“I knew all the others too.  George Johnson.  Alex Stewart.  Jack Armstrong.  There are others.  Should I continue?”  Gwen paused.  “If they’re going to kill me anyway, I don’t see why I have to be put through all this.”  

Gwen thought she’d endured the worst of the torture.  Two days of not being allowed to sleep, of being questioned and harassed and threatened at random intervals by her colleagues, not to mention the battering done on her face…it was enough to make her wish she was dead…or that she actually knew some of David’s plans—then she could rat on him and they’d leave her alone.  But this…bringing in someone she loved to inflict even more pain on her…it was too much.  A lone tear slipped from her eye, stinging her face as the salt-water slipped into an open gash on her cheek.

“Guinevere, please, I’m here to help you.  Your mom and I are trying to figure out where Fisher might be hiding out.  Do you have any idea where that might be?”  She didn’t bother mentioning Lee was involved as well.  Gwen already didn’t trust her—she didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.

“Mom?”  

The terror Francine saw in Gwen’s eyes and heard in Gwen’s voice startled her.  In fact, the girl was shaking slightly—not an easy feat with the straps holding her to the chair.

“What’s wrong?”  Francine crouched down in front of the chair so that she was eye level with Gwen.

“Mom—mom needs to go.  Take her somewhere.  Anywhere.  Just, you have to get her as far from me as possible.”

“Gwen--.”

“NO!  She can’t be here.  If she gets hurt ‘cause of me, I…” Gwen sucked in a deep breath.  She knew her former coworkers were watching her from behind a two-way mirror.  They had yet to see her break down, and that was how she planned on keeping it.

“I won’t let anything happen to your mom.”

“No, Francine.  She’s not safe.  You have to get her away.”

“Gwen, Fisher is not going to find her.  I--.”

“It’s not…”  Gwen was afraid to say more, but her gaze drifted towards the two-way mirror.

Francine closed her eyes.  Sometimes, she really hated this business.  No, not the business—just some of the people involved in this business.

“Gwen, the sooner I can locate Fisher, the sooner I can get you out of here, and then you and your mom will be safe.”

“Please, Francine, if you ever loved me, don’t let anything happen to her.”

Francine’s hands balled into fists.  Seeing this, Gwen automatically flinched.  Francine noticed her reaction, and immediately unclenched her fists.

“I promise, Gwen, I’m not here to hurt you.”  She knelt down in front of the chair.  “I’m sorry about this, Gwen.  I should never have suggested you work for the Bureau.  I should have just had you come to the Agency.  I would never have let this happen to you.”  Gently, she tucked a strand of Gwen’s hair behind the girl’s ear.  “But please, if there is anything—anything at all that might help us to catch Fisher, I need to know.  Rack your brain for even the most insignificant information you may have.”

“I’ve already told them everything I know.  If they haven’t found him, I have no idea where--.”  

Francine could almost see the light bulb going off over Gwen’s head.

“Can you tell mom I’m sorry I never picked up the Christmas photographs.  Grandmother has them.”  Gwen wanted to continue, but she glanced back over at the two way mirror.  She sensed her fellow FBI agents didn’t have a need to know.

“I get it.”  Francine stood and gently kissed Gwen’s forehead.  “I love you.”

“Time’s up.”  The guard poked his head back into the room.  “Let’s go.”  

Francine turned to leave.

“Please, both of you, stay safe.”  

Francine turned back and nodded, then stalked out of the ‘interrogation’ cell.

“Time’s up, Desmond.”

“You would do very well not to cross me.”  Francine stormed out past the stocky, balding, agent, Don Simons.   Before she made it far, she spun around.  “Agent Simons, understand, you have crossed the line on this one.”

“Why, Agent Desmond, what line could you possibly be referring to?”  It took all the strength Francine had to keep herself from slapping the smirk off the man’s face.

“Not only have you beaten and threatened an intelligence operative, one you conveniently have NOT proven to have valid ties to Fisher or to alQaeda, as you have accused her of, you have threatened civilians.”

“You mean her mother?  She’s hardly a civilian.”  Simons scoffed.

“A government stenographer is still classified as a civilian.”

“Oh, get off your pedestal, Desmond.  We’ve used similar tactics on other ‘suspected’ terrorists.  Besides, we haven’t done anything illegal.”

“Physically assaulting government agents, threatening civilians, denying legal counsel, hell, I’m sure she never even got to hear her Miranda’s.”

“In case you didn’t get the memo, our country is at war against terrorism.  Until we have evidence that proves Guinevere Stetson is innocent, we operate under the assumption that she is a terrorist.”  He turned to the guard.  “Agent Jones will show you out.”

“Simons, let me make one thing clear to you.  When Fisher is finally brought in, and Gwen’s name is cleared, understand that there will be repercussions for your treatment of her.  Even a hole deeper than Sadam’s won’t keep you hidden.”

“I don’t appreciate the threats, lady.”  Francine snorted.

“I don’t threaten.”  She turned and walked off, leaving Simons and Jones behind as she headed for the exit.


	13. Chapter 12

“How is she?”  Amanda and Lee were waiting for Francine in the parking lot.  “Is she ok?”

“She’s alive.  But Simons won’t be, once I’m through with him.”  Francine growled, slipping into the driver’s seat of her standard, Agency issued sedan.  

“Did she have any information?”  Francine pulled out of the parking lot and had the car on the freeway before she looked into her rear-view mirror at Lee and answered.

“She said something about Christmas photos.  She said Dotty had them.”

“Mother never met Fisher.”  Amanda paused and tapped her chin.  “Unless…what did she say?”

“She said she didn't pick up the Christmas photos.”  Francine said, slightly exasperated.  “Grandmother has them.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“Who else could she be referring to?”

“It’s not her grandmother.  It’s _his_.”  Amanda grinned, feeling relieved to finally be contributing.  “He made a big deal about having to leave early to visit his grandmother.”

“But she still could be referring to Dotty, right?”  Lee asked, rather confused.

“Gwen never referred to Mother as ‘grandmother.’  But Fisher referred to his grandmother that way.  Gwen even teased him about it.  Apparently, he spent a lot of time with his grandmother.”  Amanda turned to Francine.  “Are we headed back to the house?”

“We can swing by.  I want to put a trace on Fisher’s grandmother, so we’ll need to go to the office afterwards.”  Francine paused.  “Officially…”

“She’s not the Agency’s responsibility.  Where have I heard that before?”  Francine ignored Lee’s outburst and turned to Amanda.

“She’ll be OK.”

“Will she?  Her physical wounds will heal, but this is just too much for any one person to deal with.  I…I should have discouraged her more from this line of work.  I should have tried harder.  I should have pushed her towards college and being a teacher or something safe.  Maybe if I had, she’d be with me, at home, like she should be, instead of being held as a terrorist…”  She took a deep breath, and Lee jumped in before she had the chance to continue her rant.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t I, what?”

“Why didn’t you discourage her from this line of work?”  Francine pulled up in front of the house.  No one moved to get out, but Amanda turned in her seat up front to look at him.

“How was I supposed to convince her not to work as an agent when I couldn’t convince you not to leave?”  With that, she rushed to leave the suddenly too crowded vehicle, Francine leaving right behind her.  

“You just say the word, and I’ll shoot him.”  Amanda smiled.

“Let’s get Gwen out first, OK?”


	14. Chapter 13

“So, I’ve been looking through all of these photos, and I only find one with Fisher in it.”  Amanda pulled the picture from the album and held it out so Lee could see.

Once they’d arrived at the Agency, Francine had escorted Amanda and Lee to the bullpen, before hurrying to her own office.  She had a few favors she wanted to call in.

“She looks so happy.”  Lee noted, quietly.

In the photo, Gwen was standing between her mother and her ex-partner, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  Gwen looked like a younger version of Amanda.  He couldn’t believe how beautiful they both were.  And he’d been stupid enough to let it all slip through his fingers.

“That’s it!”  He jumped when Amanda shouted.  “Look at his sweatshirt.  Maryland.  That has to be it!”

Lee couldn’t help but return her smile.  It was the same one he’d seen countless times before, when she’d noticed something that could help to solve a case.

“He’s that close, and no one picked up on him?”

“No one’s picked up on him because the FBI is doing one sloppy investigation.”

“I just thought of something.”  Amanda turned to look at them and nervously drummed her fingers on the counter.  “He’s planning on using her as ‘bait’ right?”  Lee nodded.  “What if…what if someone she’s made an enemy of as her time as an agent…what if…”

“We won’t let that happen.”  Francine was suddenly behind them.  She leaned down and placed a comforting hand on Amanda’s shoulder—realizing she’d done the same thing an hour before for her daughter.  “Which is why, if we’re going to do this, we need to get him now.  We found property in Maryland under Fisher’s maternal grandmother’s surname.”  Francine paused.  “If Gwen hadn’t said anything, I don’t think we’d ever have made the connection.”  She looked at the file in her free hand.  “It’s actually not that far away from here.  I’ll send two agents out to see if they can ID anyone on the property—if anyone is even there.”  Francine stepped away and re-entered her office.  From where they were, Lee and Amanda could see her making a phone call at her desk.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what I said earlier.  I had no right to ask you that.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“And I’m sorry I wasn’t a better husband to you.”

“You were a terrific husband…when you were around.”  She slapped her hand over her mouth again.  “I should just stop speaking, I think.”

“You’ve had almost twenty years to bottle up all this anger.  I think it’s time, and I think I deserve it.”  He smiled ruefully.  “And this probably isn’t the time or the place, but I want you to know that I missed you.”

“All you had to do was pick up a phone.  One call, and Gwen and I would have come.  She missed you as much as I did, and she never even got to know you.”

“Alright, Doniger and Bishop are heading over there now.”  Francine left her office and walked back to where Amanda and Lee were.  “They’ll keep their mouths shut, but…”

“Francine, can I speak to you in your office?”  Francine eyed Lee but nodded.  “Amanda, will you…”

“No.  I know what you’re going to ask her, and I think I should hear this too.”  Silently, the three of them walked into the all too familiar office.  It took Amanda a second to quell the sadness she felt burning in her chest before turning back to Francine and Lee.  She took a seat in the leather chair next to Lee, across the desk from Francine.

“…her condition?”  Lee knew Francine hadn’t revealed all of Gwen’s treatment.  He didn’t want to subject Amanda to what he knew was coming, but he had to know.

“She’s…”  Francine glanced between the two worried parents.  Parents…hah.  That was a laugh.

No, she hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Amanda in the beginning, but over the years, the woman had become a very good friend.  She didn’t want to put Amanda through the pain she’d felt when she’d stepped into that interrogation cell earlier.  Besides, she owed Lee nothing.  Not anymore.

“Please, Francine?”  Francine felt obligated, when Amanda looked up at her, eyes imploring her to be completely honest.

“They haven’t let her sleep.  She’s got bags under her eyes.  Her bags have bags.”  Francine wasn’t sure how much to reveal.  “She said they haven’t resorted to the more severe means of interrogation.”

“What?  What does that mean?”  Amanda looked back and forth between Lee and Francine, whose gazes appeared to be locked on each other.

“It means, they haven’t water-boarded her.”  He dropped his eyes from Francine and looked over to see Amanda’s hand cover her mouth to try and conceal her horror.  “Right?”

“Right.  But, they have her strapped to a chair.”  She looked down at her hands.  “Her face is a mess.  Her clothes are disheveled, and when I first walked in, she was completely convinced I was in there to continue whatever the hell they’ve started.  She thought I was in there to hurt her.”  She looked up, her anger rising.  “They’ve got her coworkers in there, beating her when she can’t answer their questions…people that she’s known and trusted.  Those bastards have her convinced everyone is out to get her!”  Francine took a moment to calm herself before continuing.  “And from the looks of it, she’s already been tried and convicted by the Bureau.  They’ve made no secret as to what punishment she will face.”

“My baby.”  Amanda’s voice was an urgent whisper.  She closed her eyes, but couldn’t stop the flood of tears.

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have told you.”  Amanda shook her head.  She gripped the armrests of the chair, knuckles turning white, as if it were her lifeline.

“No.  No, I needed you to tell me.”  She blinked back the rest of her tears, but couldn’t seem to let go of the chair to wipe her face.  

“Amanda, how about I take you home?”  Lee offered.

“No!”  Neither Lee nor Francine was prepared for her to yell.  Amanda took a moment to compose herself before continuing at a lower volume.  “I can’t just wait in the car.  Not this time.  Not with her life on the line.”

“Well, it’s going to be a while before either of my agents gets back to me.  Why don’t we go get some lunch?  We can bring it back here and go over our plan of action once we locate Fisher.”  Silently, Lee and Amanda nodded their consent to follow Francine’s direction.


	15. Chapter 14

“Alright, that was Bishop.  She confirms that someone is on the premises of Fisher’s house.  Neither agent can determine whether Fisher is actually there or not.  They’re waiting at a bar just down the street from the house.  They have a potential weak spot in security we can exploit.”  Francine stood and grabbed her keys from her desk.

“I thought we weren’t getting any Agency help.”  Lee spat out bitterly.  He’d never quite gotten over the Agency’s continued callousness towards his daughter.  Amanda shot him a look.

“Officially, no.  But Bishop and Doniger owe me.”  Amanda caught the small smile Francine wore.  She might have asked what they owed her for if she hadn’t felt a rush of adrenaline at the thought of finally catching Fisher and seeing her daughter again.

* * *

“Doniger had to leave.  His kid called.  Emergency at home.”  Abby Bishop explained to her supervisor, Francine Desmond.

“Great.  One less set of eyes and ears.”  Lee growled out.  

“Don’t you dare get angry at him for taking care of his family.”  Amanda snapped, then turned to the women.  “What’s the game plan?”

“We need to figure out if Fisher is actually in the building.” Francine began.  “If he’s not, and we go in, we’ll spook him.  If that happens--.”

“If that happens, we may never get him.”  Lee commented, earning a glare from the three females.

“Once we can confirm that Fisher is in there, we’ll need a distraction.”  Francine looked at Amanda.

“I take it that would be my job?”

“You’ll have to cause a distraction without being seen.  He knows what you look like.  If he recognizes you, it could blow the whole thing.”

“Right.  One distraction, hold the witnesses.”  Amanda smiled, but then immediately frowned when a thought crossed her mind.  “Francine, I can’t carry a gun.”

“Well, Lee can…”

“No.”  Amanda quickly jumped in.  Lee looked crestfallen.

“I’ll go with her.”  Abby volunteered.  Francine nodded in approval.

“Alright, that leaves Lee and me to make the arrest.”  Francine paused.  “For now, though, we’ll split up.  Lee and I will cover the north end of the building.  Amanda, you and Abby cover the south.  Just surveillance, until we know for sure he’s in there, OK?”  Amanda and Abby both nodded.  “Lee?”

“What?”  He’d been so distracted by the way Amanda had pushed him away that he’d only caught bits of Francine’s game plan.

“Let’s go.”  Francine pursed her lips and guided him outside to the car.  Amanda and Abby followed and got into Abby’s vehicle.  

* * *

Lee tightened his death-grip on the binoculars in his hand.  His knuckles had turned white minutes ago, but he refused to release his hold.  As long as he kept them up to his eyes, didn’t make a sound, and stayed perfectly still in his seat, perhaps Francine would forget he was in the car with her.  Maybe then, he’d avoid the interrogation he knew she was dying to give him.

“Amanda seems to be hanging in there…”

OK, that was a relatively safe comment for her to make.  And she was right, mostly.  When she was working on this case, she seemed to have more than enough energy to take on the entire state of Virginia.  But at night, she’d collapse, sometimes in tears, other times with a look of complete hopelessness that broke his heart. .

“…you know, considering.”  The scorn in her voice told him she was referring to more than just the situation Gwen was in.

“Francine, I have no desire to get into this with you.  Not now, not ever.  It’s between Amanda and me.  You have no right sticking your nose into our business.”

“I have every right to do whatever it takes to keep you from hurting my friend.”

“Friend.  Right.  You can’t stand her.”  Lee felt his jaw tick, but couldn’t seem to lower the binoculars from his face.

“Hah.”  Francine’s sardonic laughter hit his ears.  “Stetson, do you realize how long it’s been since I couldn’t ‘stand’ Amanda?”  She shook her head in disbelief.  “It’s been over 25 years since you met her.”  She held her own binoculars to her eyes.  “You know Amanda and I have become closer than ever since Gwen was born.”  She gave another laugh—just as sarcastic as the first.  “You would know if you’d stuck around.”

“Francine.  I won’t ask again.”  He brought the binoculars down, but kept his focus on the building a few blocks away.

“Ask?  Ask?!  You have yet to ask anything.”  She lowered her binoculars, but kept her sights forward also.  “You just bark orders and expect all of us to obey without question.”  She felt a devious smirk form on her lips.  “I tried to convince Amanda to remarry.”  From her peripherals, she saw him work his jaw in aggravation.  Good.  He deserved a little aggravation.

“I see she didn’t take your advice.”  Oh, this was a bad idea.  He knew he’d have been safer sticking with Amanda.  Even the other agent, Amy, or whatever, would have been better than to be stuck on surveillance with Francine.

“She dated.  She had several offers.  I mean, she is a beautiful woman.  Too beautiful to be alone for eighteen years.”

“Francine.”  

Oh…was that pain she heard in his voice?  She narrowed her eyes.  He’d earned himself all the pain she could heap on him for what he’d done.

“And Gwen…she’s such a doll.  She calls me at least once a month, just to chat.  I wasn’t blessed to have my own children, and watching her grow up and turn into such a lovely young woman…it was just such a joy.”

“Francine…”

“I remember helping her learn how to ride a bike.  Amanda had come down with a cold, and little Gwen, well, she insisted on trying to learn all on her own.  So Amanda called me and asked if I could come over and help out.”  She paused, smiling to herself at the memory.  “Of course, she fell…skinned her knee up pretty badly, but, she refused to cry…”

“Please…” His voice had dropped to nothing more than a whisper.

“But I should have expected that. Even when she was going through those god-awful treatments for her leg, she kept a grip on her tears. Actually, come to think of it, I’ve only seen her really cry twice, other than when she was a baby.”  She looked over at the man sitting next to her.  What she was about to reveal would probably break him, if he wasn’t already broken…but she needed to tell him.  “The first was at your funeral.  That was bad.  But the second…God, the second broke my heart.  I was babysitting her for Amanda, while she was out doing something or other with Dotty.  She was watching a documentary on JFK for school.  They showed a clip of his funeral, where his son saluted his coffin.”  She paused, hoping she could control her own tears.  “Gwen burst into tears, and when I finally got her calmed down enough to talk, she told me she hated the fact that she hadn’t saluted you at your funeral.”  Looking out the front of the car, back to the building they were watching, she quickly composed herself.  “After that, every year, on the anniversary of your quote-unquote-death, she went out to your gravesite and saluted your tombstone.”

She expected him to start…well, maybe not crying…but she expected him to say something, damn it.  Instead, he undid his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, as if it was on fire.  Francine closed her eyes and shook her head.  Would he ever stop running?

* * *

“Damn, you, Francine.”  Lee growled as he paced around the neighborhood.  He knew he should be working to catch David Fisher, but if he’d sat in that car any longer, he was afraid his head might explode.  “Why did you have to tell me that?”

He stumbled across a “park”…a block of land that was without a building that contained yellow grass, a bush and a tree.  The bush looked like it was on its last limb, and while the tree didn’t look much better, he walked over and sat beside it anyway, leaned back and closed his eyes.

*You’re parents are gone.*

*Dorothy!*

*I’ll pay it back with my own blood.*

*Amanda’s been shot.*

*Scarecrow, you know your pretty little wife is no longer Agency.  The local police will have to handle finding her and the kid.*

*Daddy!*


	16. Chapter 15

Lee jumped up, startled, gun drawn.  The sun was sinking and the air was cool, but he was still drenched in sweat.  Seeing nothing that would warrant his weapon, he tucked it back into his shoulder holster.  He glanced down at his watch and saw that only thirty minutes had passed since he’d left Francine.  Sighing, he made his way back to the car—she was still sitting there, only this time, she looked like she was ready to claw his eyes out.

“Scarecrow,” She waited until he was seated and the door was shut before she began.  “I realize you’ve been away from the Agency for quite some time.  However,” A strangely calm Francine was never a pleasant Francine.  “If you are hell bent on screwing up this case and making it so that Gwen is detained in Gitmo, then I will shoot you.  Plain and simple.  You may not care about your daughter, but I do.  So, either help me, or get as far away from me as possible.”

“I’m sorry.”  

She almost didn’t believe she’d heard him correctly.  She refused to look at him or even to acknowledge he’d caught her off guard.  Instead, she chose to ignore it, and continued to look over the building she’d been staring at ever since he’d left.

“I’m really sorry, Francine.”  He tried again.  He couldn’t get the image from his earlier daydream…er…day-nightmare, of a young Gwen out of his head.  She’d been screaming for him as those bastards had held a gun to her temple—a typical hostage standoff, only, it wasn’t typical…it had been his daughter’s eyes locked on to his.

“Save it.”

“No.  I know that I hurt you when I left.  I hurt everyone when I left.  But I need you to understand…I didn’t know what else to do.”  

Finally, she looked at him and what she saw startled her.  Gone was the cocky agent she’d worked with so many years ago.  That man had died the day he realized his wife and daughter were missing.  But he also wasn’t the gruff, irritating detective she had met in Amanda’s living room.  Now, she saw a scared little boy who looked as though his world had just been destroyed.

“Stetson…”

“Francine, you know my parents were killed when I was…well, when I was about four.”  He looked back out of the windshield.

“About the same age Gwen was when you died.”  

He nodded.

“Francine, Amanda and Gwen—they’re the best things that ever happened to me.  They were my life.  When they were kidnapped…they were kidnapped because of me.  They were tortured because of me.  And then, when the Agency turned their backs on them…”

“No, Dr. Smyth turned his back on them.  You know Billy and I would have done anything to help you get them back.”  She knew he had more to say, but she had to make that point known…all he’d had to do was ask…of course, there was nothing that could be done about that now.

“I know.”  He sighed.  “I just felt…God, I don’t know what I felt.  I just knew that if they died because of me, I’d never forgive myself.”

“But you saved them.”

“But they suffered.  Amanda couldn’t hear a loud noise without shaking.  She wasn’t sleeping…she kept drifting throughout the house at night, constantly checking and rechecking all the locks.  Gwen—every night for weeks she’d wake up screaming.  And then, her foot…you know the doctors were afraid they might have to…to amputate it.”

“I know.”  She said quietly.  This was the most he’d spoken to her in almost twenty years, and while the pain was still there, she found her heart breaking for him instead of because of him.

“If I was dead, then no one would hurt them because of me.  Amanda wasn’t in the field anymore, she could just stay home with Gwen and they’d both heal and be happy.”  He paused.  “I talked to Amanda…”

“You talked it over with Amanda and she agreed that it would be the best course of action?”  This was the first she’d heard of this.

“No.  Not really.”

“Is it no, or not really?  Because I don’t think you can have it both ways here, Scarecrow.”

“She tried to talk me out of it.  She kept telling me she needed me in her life.  That Gwen needed me in her life.  Look what having me in their lives did.”

“Look at what not having you in their lives did.  Amanda doesn’t trust anyone.  She’s lost the sparkle that made her who she was.  She used to have so much life, so much energy.  You took that from her when you left.”

“You used to hate how much energy she had.”

“I never wanted it stolen from her.  And Gwen…you know she never attended a single friend’s Sweet 16 party.  She never even had one of her own.  She never wanted to face a father-daughter dance by herself.”  She paused.  “I thought you’d finished running when you married Amanda.”  She placed her hand on his arm.  “You can’t run away, just because you’re scared.  Even if you’re scared of losing something.  Because you certainly did.”

He looked over, startled.

“That’s right, Lee.  Look at what you lost.  You lost eighteen years you could have spent with Amanda.  You lost eighteen years of watching your daughter grow up.  And…”  She couldn’t believe she was actually going to say this.  “And it’s high time you stopped losing any more.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…boy, I shouldn’t even consider saying this, for how much pain you’ve caused everyone…to hell with it.  Dr. Smyth is retiring at the end of the month.”

“About damn time.”

She shot him a glare that firmly shut his mouth.

“I’m taking over his position.  That leaves Leader One open.  I want you to take the spot.”

“You want me to take Billy’s job?”  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Technically, it’s been my job for nearly ten years.  But yes, I want you to take the job.  You need to be here, to keep Gwen out of trouble.”

“Gwen?”

“Once she’s out, I’m planning on offering her a job as a field agent with the Agency.  I highly doubt, after all this, she’ll want to stick with the Bureau.”  She looked at him, expectantly.  “So?”

“Don’t I get any time to think about it?”  The look on her face told him she didn’t enjoy his attempt at levity.  “I’ll do it.”

“Good.  It’s about damn time you got to know your daughter.”


	17. Chapter 16

“…LEE!!!”  He heard his name, but it couldn’t stop the blood lust he felt.  As he landed another punch on the face of the unconscious bastard who’d put Gwen in harm’s way, satisfaction flowed through him as he felt a bone snap beneath his fist.  “Lee!!!”  A hand grasped his fist just as he was prepared to bring it back down again.  “You’re going to fuck this up.  If you kill him, no one will be able to clear Gwen!”  

“Lee, please.”  Amanda’s voice reached his adrenaline driven brain, and he felt all his strength leave his body.  “Don’t do this.”  He sagged down, his arm still in Francine’s grip.  He lifted his head and looked at the two women.  While they both looked exhausted, Amanda’s eyes held something more.  It was disgust…was she disgusted with him?  No…she wasn’t looking directly at him, but rather, at the lump of what used to be a man on the floor behind him.

Releasing his hand, Francine bent down and checked Fisher’s pulse.  There was a faint beat beneath her fingertips and she breathed a sigh of relief.  Blood was gushing from the man’s nose, but it seemed he was already coming around.

“What the…”

“Fisher!”  Lee’s energy renewed itself tenfold as he hoisted himself and Fisher up off the floor.  Amanda and Francine had to take a step back to avoid being knocked over.  “When I get through with you, you will wish they had let me kill you.”

“I’ll go phone in for backup.  Amanda, you think you can keep him from killing our suspect?”  Amanda nodded and Francine headed outside.

* * *

“Maybe if you’d stop threatening to kill him every two seconds, he’d be more inclined to cooperate.”  Francine admonished.  Lee rolled his eyes and slammed his palm against the wall.  

The clock was ticking, and everyone in that room knew it.  The Agency, having been the ones who brought him in, had been granted first questioning rights to Fisher.  Those rights would disappear in just two short hours.  If they couldn’t get him to talk…well, they all knew the FBI’s plans for him weren’t necessarily concerned with gathering information as much as just beating the shit out of him.

“If you want information, I’m going to need some assurance that I’m not going down to Gitmo.”

“You arrogant asshole, you…”

Amanda put a hand on Lee’s arm, effectively silencing him.

“Fisher,” She paused.  This man had been in her house—he’d been Gwen’s partner and she’d treated him like family.  “David.”  That caught his attention and removed the cocky smirk from his face.   “There’s no way we can stop you from being charged as a terrorist.  There’s no way we can stop whatever the government has planned for you.  You know it.  I know it.  Lee and Francine know it.  But we also know something else.  We know Gwen doesn’t deserve to suffer the same fate.  That’s why you couldn’t kill her when she came after you before.  That’s why you called and told us where she was.  That’s why you let Lee and I escape with her.  That’s why we’re here now.  The FBI has her chained up in an interrogation room.  They won’t let her sleep; they won’t get her medical treatment for her shoulder.  We need you to clear her name.  I want to take her home.”  Tears filled her eyes, and despite her attempts to remain strong, they began to spill down her cheeks.  “You’ve already sealed your fate.  Don’t let your actions seal hers.  Please.”

The entire room was silent.  Several moments ticked by, but Amanda refused to let her eyes waiver from the young man in front of her.  If he’d ever cared about his partner…

“She wasn’t supposed to get hurt.  She was just supposed to get scared off—that’s all Liam was supposed to do.”  He hung his head.

“Fisher, listen.  It’s very important.” Francine nodded to Amanda and Lee.  Taking the hint, they both stood and left the interrogation room.  They continued to watch the proceedings from the room next to it, via the two-way mirror, along with Abby Bishop and several other agents and officers.  “Was Guinevere Stetson involved in any of the dealings you made?”  

“No.”

“Was Guinevere Stetson aware of any of your dealings?”

“No.  Not in the way you mean.”

“In what way, then?”

“I—she didn’t know who I was with, didn’t know who I was working for.”

“Why did she set up the sting?”

“She…I don’t know, she just knew.”

“Just knew, what?”

“She just knew something wasn’t right.  Don’t know how she knew.  There was no way she could have known for sure.  I went out of my way to keep everything under wraps from her.  Not an easy job.  But somehow…She just sensed it, I guess.”

“How were you able to escape the sting and capture her?  Did you know about the sting in advance?”

“Yes.”

“Who told you?”

“It wasn’t Gwen.  She didn’t even let on that she was suspicious of me.”  He looked up at Francine, a glint in his eye.  “I never would have known until Simons informed me that she went to him with her suspicions of me.”

“Repeat that, please.”

“FBI Assistant director,” his voice rang out loud and clear—if he was going down, he wasn’t going to be the only one.  “Don Simons is the one who told me Gwen was setting up a sting.  He told me where to be and how it was supposed to go down.  Gwen may have had me pegged as a bad apple, but she failed to realize that our boss was just as rotten as I was.”  David sat back in his chair.  For whatever reason, his conscience wouldn’t let him falsely accuse Gwen, but he had no problems in letting everyone know the truth.

From the other side of the mirror, Amanda and Lee paled.

“Holy shit.”


	18. Chapter 17

Lee paced the room as they waited.  The room was similar to the conference rooms he remembered from his days at the Agency.  But this was not the Agency, and he couldn’t recall ever being this aggravated there…well, other than the one instance that led him to leave it permanently.

 He wanted desperately to take his wife and daughter and get the hell out of this place.  But, when dealing with the government, there was always paperwork to be done.  Damn it.

“Finally found all the forms.”  The woman who entered was just too damn cheerful, given the reasons the Stetson family were here to begin with.  She set the stack of paperwork on the conference table in front of Gwen.  “You just fill those out, and you’ll be free to go.”

Gwen didn’t acknowledge that the other woman had spoken.  She refused to even make eye contact with the woman who had once been considered a friend.  Gwen would never again consider any of her fellow FBI agents as friends.  She just couldn’t.

“Jim has you down as being on medical leave for two weeks.”

The upheaval the Bureau was undergoing was phenomenal.  With Don Simons being charged as a terrorist, the entire investigative department would be under intense scrutiny.  Jim Beeler, the department’s internal affairs director, had been given the task of running the department until order could be restored.

“Tell him not to bother.”  Gwen finally looked up, glaring daggers at the woman.  “I’m not coming back.”

“Well, we’ll miss you.”  She paused.  “Please still fill out the forms.”  With that, the woman exited the room.

Lee wanted to put his fist through the wall.  Gwen’s work had just uncovered a huge plot that could have undermined the entire nation’s security, and yet, these bastards could dismiss her so easily.

“Damn forms.”  Gwen growled and attempted to pick up a pen from the table in front of her with her right hand.  “Damn sling.”  

After she’d been cleared of all charges and released from her holding cell, Gwen had finally been given medical treatment for her shoulder.  As long as she kept it immobilized, the doctor had told her she’d get full use of it in about six weeks.

“Here.”  Amanda took the forms from her.  She picked up the pen Gwen had been reaching for.  “I’ll fill them out; you just sign them, ok?”

Gwen nodded.  

Lee watched in fascination as his daughter signed her name with her left hand.  Without realizing, his flexed his own left hand.

“Do you hunt and peck too?”  Both women looked up from the papers.  “Just wondering how much you got from me.”  His attempt to lighten the solemn mood fell flat.

“I got nothing from you.”  Gwen didn’t look up.

“She broke her right hand in the fifth grade.”  Amanda responded, attempting to clarify.  She turned her attention back to the papers and her daughter.  “Have you thought about what you want to do now?”  Amanda didn’t want to pressure her daughter into anything, but she knew her—Gwen would go crazy doing nothing, for any length of time, despite her injury—a trait she’d come by honestly.

“You could always come work for me.”  Lee surprised everyone, including himself, with his offer.  Hadn’t he chastised Amanda for not discouraging espionage as a line of work?  What business did he have, offering Gwen a job to do the same damn thing?  

“I don’t even know you.”  

“It would give you a chance to know me.”

“You couldn’t handle being my father.  What makes you think you could handle being my boss?”

Lee could almost physically feel his heart breaking.  He looked away from Gwen to Amanda, but Amanda refused to make eye contact with him.  With her shoulders hunched over and her entire frame drooping, she looked deflated and defeated.

The rest of the paperwork was finished in silence.  Lee watched as Gwen stood and gathered the forms with her left hand.  She took the stack and walked to the door.  He rushed over to open the door for her, but she didn’t even look at him as she exited.  She made her way to the closest desk and dropped them unceremoniously onto the keyboard of the unsuspecting typist.

“These go upstairs.  You know that.”  The man said, glancing at the forms and then looking up at Gwen.

“You can take them, then.”  Gwen’s left hand found a place on her hip.

“Gwen--.”

“No.  You don’t get to talk to me like we’re friends.”  She spat at him.

“Hey, you’re lucky Fisher was found, otherwise you’d still be in that cell.”  He was getting defensive.

“You’re lucky I’m not taking this to the newspapers.  Your name would certainly come up, if I ever decided to.”

“I’m sorry.”  He immediately started backpedaling.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Stewart.  You went too far in your interrogation, and you know it.”  She fought the bile rising in her throat as she remembered the threats he’d made.  “I just hope to god your wife and daughter never find out what kind of man you really are.”  With that, she stormed off.

Lee motioned to Amanda and the two of them followed Gwen towards the exit.  Lee shot Agent Stewart a look that caused the younger man to cower.


	19. Chapter 18

“What’s it going to take?”

“What?”  Lee looked from his daughter to Amanda.  From the doorway of her room, they’d both been watching her wrestling with invisible demons in her sleep.  The small night light next to her bed illuminated just enough that he could see her struggling, twisted in the sheets on her bed.  Had the need for a nightlight been inherited, or had some event in her life driven her to seek its comfort?

“Is she ever going to be ok?”

“The doctor said her shoulder would be fine in a few weeks.  Good as new.”  He knew it was stupid of him to say that, because he knew that wasn’t what Amanda had been referring to.

“Do I send her back to a counselor?”  He was grateful she’d ignored his stupidity.

“Amanda, she’s an adult.  She’ll have to be the one to decide whether or not to talk to a counselor.”

“I know that.”  Her voice was resigned.  “I just feel so helpless.”

Gwen cried out in her sleep, causing her parents to jump.  Both held their breath until they were sure she was still sleeping.

“I can’t help her.  I can’t force her to get help.  I just have to watch and pray that she doesn’t become self-destructive…”

“Like me.”  He wanted to get angry when she nodded, but he knew she was right.  “We won’t let her get that bad.”

“We?”

“Yes, we.  With Francine taking Dr. Smyth’s position, I’ll be taking over Leader One.”

“Oh.”  She tried to hide the elation she felt at his statement.  “So, when you offered Gwen a job earlier…”

“It was a job here.”  Lee turned to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.  “I would never try to come between the two of you.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re going to be here.”  Was she glad solely for her relationship with her daughter, or did the idea of him being nearby warm her heart as well?  She wasn’t sure, but decided to stick with the safest route for her heart.  “I know it’s her decision, but...the thought of her being so far away...especially after everything...”  She tensed up, unsure of why he was still holding her arms.  She looked at his hands, and he immediately pulled them back to his sides.

“Do you think she’ll say yes?”

She saw uncertainty in his eyes.

“I honestly don’t know.”  She paused, seeing his face fall.  “Lee, you can’t just expect everything to be ok now that you’ve suddenly popped back into her life.  You’re going to have to give her time to adjust.”

“I know that.”  He hissed angrily, then immediately regretted his tone.  He shouldn’t be angry with Amanda for telling him the truth.  “I’m sorry.  I just—I don’t like—.”  He stumbled over his thoughts, unsure of the best words to use to convey them.

“You don’t like not being in control of the situation.”

Not exactly what he’d been going for, but certainly fitting.

“Lee, you just got through telling me she’s an adult and she has to decide things for herself.  She is going to have to be the one to let you back in.  You can’t force it.”  She placed her hand on his chest as an offer of comfort.  When he gasped at the sudden touch, she quickly removed her hand.

“So, I have to ask, why is her room covered in penguins?”  He tried to ease the uncomfortable strain they both felt.

Amanda sighed.  Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and quietly led him out of their daughter’s room and down the hall to what had, at one time, been their room.

Lee felt his head spin.  He’d asked about the penguins to remove the palpable tension that had developed.  He couldn’t deny he still loved the woman who was now rummaging through her closet, but he knew bringing that up at this moment would only cause problems.  It certainly didn’t help his nerves that he was sitting on the edge of her bed, tentatively fingering the ruffles of her comforter.

“This is why all the penguins.”  Finally, she stepped out of the closet.  In her hand was a shoe box.  She pulled the lid off and inside he saw a few newspaper clippings, several photographs, a swatch of something plaid, and a small stuffed penguin, its once white belly now yellow with age.  “She asked me to hold on to this one for her.  This is sort of her keepsake box.”

“Oh, my gosh.”  He took the toy when she offered it to him, and allowed his mind to take him back…

 

Gwen had refused to let the toy go for days after he’d purchased it for her at the zoo.  She’d even taken it in the bathtub with her, its cotton filling absorbing so much water that Gwen had left a trail.  Later, Amanda had to wash it after Gwen had fallen asleep, since that was the only time she’d loosen her hold on it.

When he’d gone after the men who’d taken Gwen and Amanda hostage as revenge against him, he’d kept the toy in his pocket.  Once he found them, Gwen kept a constant grip on the penguin with one hand, and his shirt in the other.  Then he’d told her he’d never let her go.

 

“Why would you let her love me?”  He held the toy with such reverence, looking into the button eyes of the penguin because he was too ashamed to look into Amanda’s.

“You’re her father.”

“It’s not that simple.”  He hated himself, why shouldn’t they?

“It is.  And it isn’t.”  She gently lifted his chin with her fingers.  “We can sit here and play ‘what if’ for the rest of our lives.  Or you can work with the cards you have.”

It took his tired brain a moment to register that she was now sitting next to him on her bed.  Was it still the same bed they’d shared so many years ago?  Did she still curl herself around a pillow when she slept alone?  Would he ever feel her curl around him again?  

“Do those cards include you?”  He knew he had no right to ask.  For all he knew, she could be involved with someone.  True, she hadn’t mentioned anyone special in her life, but the recent events hadn’t lent themselves for that particular topic to come up in conversation.  

“Lee,” She paused, unsure of how to continue.  “I need time.”  She opened her mouth then closed it.  She was afraid that if she said anymore, she’d confess that she still loved him.  She wasn’t sure she trusted him, at least when it came to her heart.  But could she love him without trusting him?  “You have to give me time.”

“I know.  Take all the time in the world.  I’m not going anywhere this time.”  He couldn’t tell if she truly believed what he was saying, but it didn’t matter.  He would make damn sure he kept this promise.  “Amanda, would you consider working with me?”

“What?”

“Maybe Gwen will be more open to taking the job as a field agent with the Agency if you are there.” He paused.  “You wouldn’t be an agent, more like an assistant—my assistant.  Well, not really my assistant.”  He cringed, hoping that he hadn’t offended her.  “You’d be like an adviser, helping come up with solutions.  You’ve never thought like an agent, and…and I am digging myself a hole.”  He blew out a sigh.  “Let me try this again.  Amanda, you see things that other people don’t.”  If she hadn’t picked up on Gwen’s message, they might never have found Fisher.  “You would be a real asset when we’re trying to solve cases.  I’d like to offer you a position as a lead consultant and mentor.  Would you consider taking the position?”

“I--.”  Amanda paused, her thoughts in a whirlwind.  “I suppose being a stenographer has gotten a little mundane over the years.”  She smiled.

Looking down at his hands, he realized he was still holding the penguin.  He handed the toy back to her and she tucked it into the box.  He wanted to ask about the other items he saw, but a noise just outside of the room caught both his and Amanda’s attention.

“I, uh, was hoping to talk to you, mom, but I see you’re busy.”  Before either parent could say anything, Gwen turned and quickly disappeared into the hallway.

Expecting Amanda to jump up and follow Gwen, Lee was surprised when she nudged him with her arm.

“I’ve handled the last eighteen years.  You take this one.”

“Amanda,” He was certainly not prepared for this.  The guilt he felt at being reminded that he’d left her alone to raise their daughter battled for his immediate attention with how unqualified he felt to handle ‘this one.’  Or any one, for that matter.  

“Wing it.”  She couldn’t help but smile at his obvious discomfort.

After a moment, he squared his shoulders and stood.  He was at the door when he turned around, looking for some sort of reprieve.  She just motioned for him to go.  Then he, too, disappeared into the dark outside her bedroom door.


	20. Chapter 19

Gwen jumped at the sound of soft footsteps behind her.  She hadn’t actually expected either her mom or Lee to follow her downstairs.  Seeing Lee, she closed her eyes and sighed.  When would she stop feeling so damn jumpy?

“Can’t sleep?”  She shook her head and stared as she swirled the scotch in the bottom of her glass.  “That stuff never really worked for me either.”

“I don’t know how mom can let you back in so easily.”  There was no beating around the bush.  Lee sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  He was still a long way from where he’d been…and a long way from where he, surprisingly, wanted to be.

“I never stopped loving her.  I never stopped loving you.”

“Did leaving help you sleep at night?”  She gulped down the last of her drink, indulging in the slow burn down her throat.  She set the glass on the counter and turned to look out the window.  He took a moment to study her.  She looked so much like her mother.

“You know, you come by it honestly.”  She turned sharply to look at him.  “The plaid.  Your mother wore it all the time.  She got me wearing it too.”  He indicated her plaid flannel robe.

“She used to let me wear one of your shirts to bed.”  Her admission was barely a whisper, but he could hear the sadness in her voice.  

“Gwen…”

“She used to look at me sometimes…you know…and she would just cry.  I finally realized it was because I reminded her of you.”  She paused.  

“Gwen…”

“I have to wonder if any of it is worth this.  The people I am supposed to be able to count on at work let me down.  They lie, they point fingers…but that’s part of the job description.  And now, the people I am supposed to be able to count on at home…my entire life is a lie.”  She couldn’t let him see her cry.  She just couldn’t.

“I’m sorry.  I know I messed up.”

“Messed up?”  Her voice grew louder.  “Messed up?  You mess up a recipe or…or a hair style.  Do you have any idea how many times…”  Her voice cracked, but she couldn’t stop.  “…how many times I wished I’d never been born, so that maybe Mom wouldn’t be so sad all the time?  Or how many times I cried myself to sleep, thinking I’d never get to have a father-daughter dance if I ever get married?  Or…”  The tears were unstoppable now as they flowed down her cheeks.  “Or how I worked so hard to get into the intelligence community because I hoped you would look down and be proud of me?”  She gasped for breath, unable to stop the tears, but refusing to acknowledge the sob that was stuck in her throat.

Lee crossed the kitchen to his daughter in two quick strides.  Mindful of her injured arm, he pulled her to him.  She tried to push him away.  Gently, but firmly, he held her until she had no more fight left in her and she just wept in his embrace.  He was surprised to find his own cheeks covered in tears.

“I needed you.”  She whispered.  Ignoring his own tears, he rubbed her back until her sobs had calmed to hiccups.  They stood silently, clinging to each other as if they could be pulled apart any moment.

“Water?”  She nodded and finally pulled away from him.  Avoiding his eyes, she snatched her glass of the counter and turned to the sink.  “I don’t think there’s any way to suitably express how sorry I am.”  She considered how she was to get water in her glass with only one arm.  Sighing in defeat, she handed the glass to him and stepped to the side as he filled her glass with water.

She took several sips before she continued.  “Hindsight is 20/20.”  

“I can’t change what happened.  And I don’t expect you to forgive me.”  Finally, she turned to face him.

“But…?”  She wasn’t sure, but she had the impression that he had more to say.  He turned to face her as well.

“But I hope you’ll let me be a part of the rest of your life.”  Silence reigned in the kitchen for several minutes.  She seemed to be studying him.  It unnerved him, how her eyes seemed to penetrate to his soul…exactly the way Amanda’s…

“We can start with you as my boss.”  She said at last.  He released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.  “We’ll see where we go from there.”  She didn’t smile or allow any emotion to come through in her words, but her message gave him a boost of hope.

“Sounds good.”  He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.  “This, and your mom’s cookies always did wonders to help me get to sleep at night.”  He glanced around the kitchen as he fixed a glass for himself and refilled her now empty glass with milk.  “Too bad there are no cookies.”

“No cookies…but there are a couple of brownies in the fridge.  Aunt Francine finally left me some.”  She allowed herself to flash a small smile at him.  “Plus, I know where mom hides the marshmallows.”


	21. Tag

“Damn.”  She swore under her breath as she righted herself after her near stumble.  She couldn’t fall now.  Not with the file still with her and those goons chasing her.  Pushing herself harder, she made her way to the crowded bus station.

The stupid men followed her.  What was their plan, to start beating her here?  With all these witnesses?  She slowed her pace to a brisk walk.  Glancing back over her shoulder, she noticed the two men on her tail also slow thanks to the heavy foot traffic around them.

Looking ahead, she cringed.  This was her first assignment on her own since taking a job with the Agency.  She couldn’t screw this up.  Her whole family legacy was riding on her…on this assignment.  If she couldn’t ditch…no, they’d made her, and they’d continue to follow her until they had what they wanted.  But…but what if she didn’t have what they wanted anymore?

“Excuse me, sir.”  Gwen linked her arm with the first person she bumped into.  Despite her having a smaller frame, he was caught off guard, and she was able to propel him along beside her.

“What are you doing?  Are you mugging--?”

“Sir…”  She looked up.  “Walk with me, please?  My ex…he and his brother are following me, and if you walk with me for a minute, maybe they’ll take the hint and leave me alone.”  She smiled and he nodded.  They continued walking in a rushed manner—rather, he allowed her to pull him along quickly, through the crowd.  She looked back…yup, still there.  “Are you taking a bus?”

“No, actually, I’m seeing my grandmother off.  She refuses to fly.”  Gwen nodded.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Aren’t I already doing you a favor?”  He stopped walking, and she was forced to stop as well, as their arms were still linked.  Hesitantly, she looked up at his face, and then slowly pulled a manila envelope from her jacket.

“This needs to go to the address on the label.  There’s already a stamp and everything.  You just have to find a mailbox and drop it in.  It’s a matter of life and death.”

“Wait…am I on one of those hidden camera shows?”  He took a step back from her and looked around.  “You’re really good with the hidden cameras.  I can’t see any at all.”

“Please!”  She grimaced at the plea in her voice.  “Just drop it in a mailbox.”  She didn’t have any more time to explain…the two men who had been yards behind her the last time she checked, were almost upon her—apparently they were going to jump her here in front of all these people.  She thrust the envelope into the man’s hand and then took off running.

 

* * *

“…that’s how I wound up back here.”  Gwen finished reporting her failed mission attempt to her parents, gasping when she placed the icepack back on her swollen eye.  “Shit, that…what are you laughing at?”  She looked up and noticed that both her mother and Lee were sharing a glance and trying to keep from laughing aloud.

Lee.  God, it still felt weird to have him in her life.  Her time in therapy had helped get her to the point where she could move past all the lies and start to forgive.  It hadn’t quite erased the strange feeling she got when she had to remind herself she wasn’t hallucinating when she saw him at work every morning, and eating dinner with her and her mother every evening.

Gwen was jolted from her thoughts when her mother spoke.

“It’s got to be genetic.”  Amanda chuckled, biting her lip.  She looked at Lee, his eyes alight with amusement, although he was working his jaw to keep from giving voice to his mirth.

“Someone, please explain?”  Gwen was getting irritated.  She’d expected a chewing out for bungling her first assignment at the Agency…but she didn’t expect to be laughed at.  “Mom?  Lee?”  The two finally turned to her.

“Have we received the envelope you passed off?”  Lee no longer appeared to be on the verge of laughter, but a close inspection would show his eyes still held a hint of humor.

“No.  But why is it so funny that I screwed up?  Were you expecting me to fail?”  

Lee turned sharply towards Amanda.  Gwen had obviously misread their emotion at having been directed at her instead of the situation.

“She doesn’t know?”  Amanda shook her head.  “Should I…?”  She nodded.

“Should you, what?”  Gwen tossed the bag of ice on the desk in front of him and sat back in her chair, arms crossed, waiting for whatever explanation they offered.

“Well, it all started at a train station…”


End file.
